Our Publications

About Us

Quick Facts 2015

Here is the latest information and statistics for MD Anderson's patient care, research, education and prevention activities, and more. Most information is based on Fiscal Year 2014 data. View Quick Facts 2015 (PDF)

Who We Are

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, located in Houston on the campus of the Texas Medical Center, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

The Texas Legislature created MD Anderson in 1941 as part of The University of Texas System. It is one of the nation’s original three comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971.

U.S. News World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” survey has rankedMD Anderson the nation’s leading cancer care hospital for 10 of the past 13 years. It’s been named one of the nation’s top two cancer centers every year since the survey began in 1990.

Mission

MD Anderson’s mission is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation and the world through exceptional programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention. Our mission also includes education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

Vision

We shall be the premier cancer center in the world, based on the excellence of our people, our research-driven patient care and our science.

Core Values

Caring: By our words and actions, we create a caring environment for everyone.

Integrity: We work together to merit the trust of our colleagues and those we serve.

Patient Care

At MD Anderson, everything we do revolves around our patients. In Fiscal Year 2014, more than 127,000 people sought the superior care that has made the institution so widely respected. More than 8,000 participants were enrolled in clinical trials exploring innovative treatments. MD Anderson’s cancer clinical trial program is the largest in the nation.

Clinical Activity

FY10

FY14

% Change

Hospital admissions

23,995

27,761

+16%

Average number of inpatient beds

546

654

+20%

Outpatient clinic visits, treatments, procedures

1,132,338

1,363,008

+20%

Pathology/laboratory medicine procedures

10,754,560

12,005,766

+12%

Diagnostic imaging procedures

538,514

523,297

-3%

Surgery hours

61,873

69,506

+12%

Total active clinical research protocols

1,009

1,101

+9%

Noteworthy

MD Anderson is accredited by the Joint Commission to ensure patients receive the best and safest health care possible.

MD Anderson provided more than $196 million in uncompensated care to Texans with cancer in FY14. This figure includes unreimbursed costs of care for patients who either have no insurance or are underinsured, or whose care was not fully covered by government-sponsored health programs.

The EndTobacco program addresses public health enemy No. 1: preventable death and disease caused by tobacco use. It brings MD Anderson and other leaders in prevention and tobacco control together to end tobacco use and more rapidly decrease tobacco-related cancers through policy, education and community-based clinical services.

Research

At MD Anderson, crucial scientific knowledge gained in the laboratory is rapidly translated into clinical care. In FY14, MD Anderson invested more than $735 million in research, an increase of 35% in the past five years.

Sources of Research Expenditures

FY10

FY14

% Change

Private industry grants and contracts

$50,712,121

$75,307,463

+48%

Philanthropy and foundations

$81,656,207

$147,016,586

+80%

State funding allocated for research

$23,204,735

$49,884,575

+115%

Federal grants and contracts

$206,664,447

$158,986,303

-23%

Internal funding allocated for research

$184,797,234

$304,998,503

+65%

Total research expenditures

$547,034,744

$736,193,430

+35%

Noteworthy

The institution’s faculty is one of the most esteemed in the nation, including nine Institute of Medicine members, three National Academy of Sciences members, four Academy of Arts and Sciences fellows and 32 American Association for the Advancement of Science fellows.

The Moon Shots Program is dramatically accelerating the pace of converting scientific discoveries into clinical advances that reduce cancer deaths. So far, the program has received almost $213 million in private philanthropic commitments.

Investigators in the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Moon Shot created anMD Anderson algorithm for determining when ovarian cancer patients should have surgery. This systematic approach has more than tripled the rate of complete surgical removal of patients’ tumors, from 25% to more than 80%.

GP2, a new breast cancer vaccine in development at MD Anderson, has been shown to reduce recurrence rates by 57%. High-risk patients who were given the vaccine after completion of the immunotherapy drug trastuzumab had no cancer recurrences.

The Institute for Applied Cancer Science identifies and validates new cancer targets, converts the scientific knowledge into new cancer drugs and advances the novel agents into innovative clinical trials. A team of IACS drug development experts identified and developed IACS-10759, which blocks the conversion of nutrients into the energy that fuels cancer cells.

During the past year, MD Anderson received more than $47 million from The Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for research, prevention, recruitment and training. In total, the institution has received more than $192 million from CPRIT since its formation.

MD Anderson’s expertise in cancer immunotherapy attracted the interest of a number of major pharmaceutical companies (Amgen, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer), which signed collaborative agreements to develop new ways for the immune system to destroy tumors. Biotech companies Intrexon and ZIOPHARM Oncology have licensed uniqueMD Anderson immunotherapy technology, including a new method for genetically engineering immune system T cells to target cancer. In addition, the institution is working with Bayer to capture important information from clinical trial patients about how certain investigational drugs affect them.

Sources of Revenue

MD Anderson’s total revenue in FY14 was more than $4.4 billion. Of that total, only 4.2% was general revenue appropriated by the State of Texas.

Education

Almost 6,500 trainees, including physicians, scientists, nurses and allied health professionals, took part in educational programs at MD Anderson in FY14. The institution awards bachelor’s degrees in eight allied health disciplines and, in collaboration with the UT Health Science Center at Houston, awards M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

In addition, thousands of health professionals participate in continuing education and distance-learning opportunities. MD Anderson also provides education programs for patients, survivors, caregivers, healthy people and those at an elevated risk of cancer.

Education Profile

FY10

FY14

% Change

Clinical residents, fellows

1,109

1,276

+15%

Research trainees

1,612

1,853

+15%

Observers, visitors, special programs

401

452

+13%

Nursing trainees

2,776

1,238*

-55%

Student programs participants

930

1,204

+29%

School of Health Professions students

214

318

+49%

Total trainees

6,975

6,341

-9%

Noteworthy

MD Anderson has 74 Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (24), American Dental Association (1), American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1), or approved by the Texas Medical Board (48).

MD Anderson is accredited by the ACGME as a Sponsoring Institution and has maintained Continued Accreditation status for more than 20 years.

Through the Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment, the division is investing in promising new research directions and integrating basic research and clinical studies to accelerate their translation from the lab to the clinic to the community.

Noteworthy

MD Anderson has expanded its commitment to cancer prevention and control as a critical part of its mission. This work involves developing and implementing evidence-based interventions in public policy, public and professional education and community-based clinical services.

All high-grade serous ovarian cancer and triple-negative breast cancer patients are now offered screening for BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations. The screening helps identify family members with risk-increasing mutations, offering enhanced opportunities for prevention and early detection.

Institutional Advancement

Institutional Advancement works to position MD Anderson as the global leader to end cancer and inspire communities and people worldwide to join us in Making Cancer History®.

Noteworthy:

MD Anderson partnered with Stripes Convenience Stores to raise funds forMD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. In its Stripes Stores Celebrates Tomorrows campaign, employees and customers purchased $1 pinups to help kids with cancer. The initiative raised more than $1.4 million. The James B. and Lois R. Archer Charitable Foundation and Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation matched all donations, doubling the amount to more than $2.8 million.

In an effort to encourage healthy eating habits and prevent cancer related to obesity, MD Anderson nutritionists teamed with Jason’s Deli to create a wild salmon salad for the menu. The partnership also raised more than $250,000 for the Breast Cancer Moon Shot through the sale of co-branded bottles of water featuring pink caps.

Philanthropic gifts are essential to MD Anderson’s lifesaving work. In FY14, our donors generously committed more than $239 million, in the form of cash, pledges and planned gifts.

Clinical and research facility growth

Construction of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Building for Personalized Cancer Care was completed in January, and the activation process began in early February with the Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The 12-floor, 615,000- square-foot facility is scheduled to be fully occupied by October 2015.

To provide a much-needed expansion of space for clinical, diagnostic and support services in the Main Building, construction is underway on The Pavilion, an adjoining 8-story, 184,800-square-foot building. The $198 million project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015 and occupancy by early 2016, will allow MD Anderson to treat more patients and improve patient services.

Staff

MD Anderson employs close to 20,000 people, including almost 1,700 faculty members. A volunteer workforce of 1,080 contributed 164,970 hours of service in FY14.

Noteworthy:

On Jan. 1, 2015, MD Anderson launched its tobacco-free hiring policy, demonstrating our commitment to reducing the use of tobacco and its adverse effects.

An interactive process involving faculty and staff resulted in “Our Strategy,” which positions MD Anderson for the future and comprises five focus areas: People We Serve, People Who Serve, Science That Enables, Systems That Support and Sustainability.

“We are MD Anderson,” the foundation of the institution’s customer service model, was revamped. The initiative is built around the idea that every person — whether faculty, staff or volunteer — plays a vital role in the mission.

MD Anderson’s commitment to those who have served in our nation’s military earned it a spot on the 2014 Best for Vets employer list. Becker’s Healthcare recognized MD Anderson as one of the “150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare” for 2014.

The institution landed a number of significant recruits, including V. Craig Jordan, the father of tamoxifen; Debu Tripathy, the new chair of Breast Medical Oncology; David Tweardy, the new head of Internal Medicine — one of the nation’s largest divisions; and Stephen Hahn, who heads Radiation Oncology.

Locations

In addition to MD Anderson’s main campus in the Texas Medical Center and two research campuses in Bastrop County, Texas, the institution has developed a number of local, national and international locations.

Houston-area care centers

MD Anderson is now the exclusive provider of breast radiology services for five of Memorial Hermann’s 10 breast care centers in the Houston area — Memorial City, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, and Northeast and Southwest Houston.